ENGLAND – The European Union wants to put the Algerian flag on its new logo, and it’s not the first time the European Commission has been caught up in controversy over the country’s flag.
Algeria has long been a divisive issue in Europe, with its president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, often cited as one of the worst leaders in modern history.
He has also been accused of having a role in the 2010 deaths of five Algerians, a dispute the EU has never officially acknowledged.
The Commission has taken a similar stance on Algeria in the past, with an earlier version of the logo featuring a red cross in place of the flag, but that was pulled in favour of the blue and white flag.
“Algerian citizens deserve a modern, vibrant and modern flag which represents their country,” the Commission said in a statement.
Its logo also has a number of similarities to other European designs, including that of the Netherlands and Denmark, which also have national flags with the Algerians symbol.
But the EU is not the only one to have problems with the design of Algeria’s flag, as the EU Commission has received complaints from citizens who want it to be red.
Algerians, who have a strong sense of nationalism, also complained to the Commission over the logo, with some suggesting that it is racist.
“The Commission is trying to create a new emblem for the EU based on a new design, without being able to differentiate between the two flags,” said the commission’s chief designer, Jean-Christophe Guijarro, at a meeting on Wednesday.
“We cannot do this.
I am tired of all this.”
